Celestial Wings
by Willowstar157
Summary: Alex, a girl who's been wanting to officially join Blue Pegasus her entire life, has a problem. Her life is being turned upside down. Then one night she's attacked, and it's all she has not to break. The only thing left to her are the Trimen, yet she's worried her bad luck will destroy them, too. Will she remain the Blue Jewel, or will fate permanently change her life? (EvexOC)
1. Prologue

**A/N: HOLY FREAKIN' FUDGE! The first few chapters of Celestial Wings are going to be about this long, BTW! I don't kid around wen I say your not gonna be disappointed... Check out Dancing with the Sky's A/N if you don't know what I mean by that. Wowww self-marketing.. I'm on a role of facepalms today, literally, you have no. idea. As in in music class I messed up the key signature for C Major scale! (Music joke.) That's pretty freaking near IMPOSSIBLE! And on a theory test dedicated explicitly for key signatures, too! So ya, I'm not feelin' to sharp today.. Or the day I wrote this chapter. SO, ya, -sigh- really hope you guys enjoy while I study key signatures because I was honestly sure my music teacher was just about ready to ka-thwap me in the side of the head with her books! I thought she would've, cause at lunch, I did it for her. I may upload the next chapter to this tomorrow, and if not, someday soon! CROSS MY HEART AND HOPE TO DIE! Sheesh I'm getting alot of rubber-finger spelling mistakes in this A/N... So... For the -final- time today, hope you guys enjoy, 'cause I sure am!**

My story starts with a guild, in a country called Fiore. A guild called Blue Pegasus, we're a guild who loves love, and we have several rather perverted members.

Before you start thinking like, how babies are made, that's not what I mean. Well, not entirely, at least. Our guild Master, Bob, is an oddball, a fat guy who loves wearing makeup and angel wings, and is rather underdressed almost 24/7.

Some of our other members are flirty, or they may be players, or somewhere in between. And then some others stand on the sidelines, watching all the havoc unfold. I'm one of those people, except there's one thing that sets me apart from the rest...

"Listen up, Alexandria! Look at me when I'm talking to you!" My mother snapped. By the way, my name's Alexandria. My mother is an evil witch. Her names Karen, and while most kids brag about their awesome wizard parents, I have a hard time escaping mine. She has some... Issues, if I dare say that aloud. Sudden contact hit my cheek, and I was sent flying to the ground.

Well, there goes that streak of not being hit.

"I said LISTEN TO ME!" Karen yelled. I felt tears beginning to prick at my eyes. Crap. "How many times have I told you not to summon my spirits, damn it!"

"I... I didn't summon any of them.. Please, don't hurt me again, mom..." I begged, rubbing my stinging cheek.

"Don't you dare give me that, young lady. Your not a wizard, and you never will be!" She said tensely, and I could tell another blow was coming. Just as she raised her hand, a golden glow appeared for a second before dissapearing, and in it's place stood a male with orange-gold hair wearing a suit. I breathed a silent prayer of thanks.

By the way, I'm an unofficial member of Blue Pegasus... I'm still too young to learn magic.

"That's enough, Karen. Alex didn't summon any of us." He said firmly, grabbing her wrist before she could hit again.

"Don't you dare defend her, pet." Karen spat. I wanted to curl up in a corner and die.

"Come here, Alex." He looked at me with a smile. I got up and dashed over, throwing my arms around him and he wrapped an arm around me protectively.

"Thanks, Leo." My muffled voice came from where my face was implanted on his shirt, and I allowed my tears to fall at last. Leo the Lion was here. He'd protect me.

"She's only twelve, Karen. Not to mention your daughter. Your worse on her then you are Aries." He said calmly, though I could feel how stiff he was. Leo's words ran through my head for the hundredth time in this scenario.

'Celestial Spirits aren't allowed to physically attack our wizards... For us, that would be like killing your King. We get banished if we break our contract, and being in Earthland for to long... We'll eventually just disappear forever. Being here begins to drain our power over long periods of time.'

'So then who will help me?'

'Whenever you need me, I'll come. And I'm sure your dad will, too.' He grinned, and I threw my arms around him.

That was two years ago.

"Your going to regret saying that, Leo." Karen snarled, taking out her whip. "You'll pay for talking back to ME!" Leo quickly pushed me around behind him, and just as Karen raised her whip, a voice called out;

"Don't even think about it." And a face I've never been so glad to see in my life showed up. I felt Leo breath a silent sigh of relief. Hibiki ran in, grabbing the end of the whip.

"You took your dear sweet time getting here, Hibiki." Leo said. Karen's eyes darted between the two angry males, before she let out a scream of frustration and stormed out of her apartment, slamming the door behind her. However, she sent me one final glare over her shoulder, the message clear: you won't be so lucky next time, Alexandria.

I slowly came out from my hiding spot behind Leo, and Hibiki let out a sigh, walking over to me. He gently kneeled down and turned my head to the side so he could check my bruise.

"Are you ok?" He asked with a fathers concern. By the way, Hibiki's my dad, if you hadn't already guessed. I slowly nodded, and he pulled me into a gentle hug before standing and nodding his thanks to the spirit.

"Thanks again, Leo. I just don't know what to do." He ran a hand through my emerald hair. "I've tried everything, she just doesn't let up." Leo shook his head.

"Nobody does. It's like that woman's a vessel of hurt. Celestial Spirits are becoming afraid of their keys falling into her hands, me and all the other Zodiacs are worried for Aries and Alex... I'm thinking about a rebellion... Next time for sure." He said. "We may not be allowed to harm Karen, but there's nothing against a protest."

Hibiki nodded thoughtfully.

"If one of you are here, then she can't summon a spirit. Although that means she won't be able to pay for food if she can't work."

"But how long can you possibly stay?" I chipped in, eager to be of use. "I can bring whoevers here food every day." Leo once again shook his head.

"Sorry kiddo, a Celestial Spirits magic energy charges differently then a humans. We need to be in our own realm." He said gently. I looked to the ground, feeling completely useless. "Cheer up. Think of the adventures the two of us will get to have one day." He grinned, flicking my nose. Hibiki, being the dad, had to bring up his precious daughters safety.

"And when that day comes, which won't be for awhile I should hope, I trust Leo won't let anything so much as scratch you." He sent a warning look at the spirit, and Leo nodded like a responsible gentleman. Though as soon as Hibiki turned away, he looked down at me with a wink and I couldn't help but giggle.

"Most definitely, sir." He gave a formal bow. I found it hard to imagine Leo being a player, though that's what everyone calls him. Whenever he's around me, he's always so goofy and fun.

"Well,I gotta be going back now... The others are going to want to know what's happened to me." Leo said, the golden glow returning. "Be careful, Alex." He added before he vanished with a flash.

"Well, what to you say we get something to eat?" Hibiki asked me, though I shook my head. With Leo gone, even with my dad still here, I started to get a little scared.

"Do you know where Eve is?" I asked. Eve was my best friend, and the only other person in the guild relatively close to my age. Him, my dad, and an air wizard called Ren were all part of Blue Pegasus' elite group, The Trimen. Well, them and their creepy, sparkly "leader," Ichiya. Him and Master always give me the willies.

"Him and Ren should be coming back from a job any minute now. Why?"

"No reason..." I blushed, trying to give him the wrong impression. Almost immediately, Hibiki froze.

"Why..? Alexandria... Don't make me tickle it out of you." He said warningly, wriggling his fingers.

"No!" I squeaked, running off, and I heard his footsteps chasing after me. I could almost feel the maniacal look on his face. Quickly I ducked under the table, clutching my sides in attempt to stop a possible sneak attack. I looked out to see his shoes stopped right at the edge of the table, and I sucked in a breath.

"Where oh where could she have gone..." His shoes started walking around the table. I almost failed in holding back a giggle, my cheeks inflated so I looked like a pufferfish. "Maybe under HERE!" He bent down with lightning speed, quickly pulling me out from the table and attacking my sides.

I squirmed around on the ground, squealing as he mercilessly tickled me. It was my one weakness, and he knew all the weakest points.

"I yield! I yield!" I squawked breathlessly. "There's nothing between us. I swear." I could tell he wasn't buying it. "Honest!"

"Good, because he's to old, and you're to young for boys anyways." He said gruffly. I raised my eyebrow at him. "What?"

"Sais the one who flirts with any cute girl he comes across. Said girl could be a toddler, for all you care!" I poked his ribs.

"That's different. I'm the dad, I'm allowed to flirt." He said gruffly. "You are to young for boys, Alexandria. Especially Eve."

"Aww, c'mon, it's not you you don't know or trust him." I nagged.

"He's half a year older then you!" I raised my other eyebrow, lowering my chin for extra effect as I looked at him through my batting eyelashes.

"Only half a year, daddy? Is it really that large a gap?" I asked innocently, tinted with sarcasm. He huffed.

"Your too young. That's final." He said. I sighed. At least he took away 'he's to old.' That's a record. He ruffled my hair. "C'mon, it's getting late, and if you don't want something, lets head back to my apartment." He specified, and I realized we hadn't left my moms place yet. I shivered, running to the door.

"Race you back!" I shouted over my shoulder. I heard him chuckle to himself and start chasing after me.

"Don't get to far ahead!" He called up to me as there was more distance put between us. "And head straight back!"

"I will!" I called. "SLOWPOKE!"

- A few minutes later-

I finally slowed down next to an alleyway, leaning against the cold stone building so I could catch my breath. I'd been sprinting high-speed for a couple minutes, and my lungs burned. Without thinking, I looked down the alley.

"Creepy place... It would be perfect for an ambush..." I muttered to myself, an idea forming in my head as I eyed the barrels and boxes stored in the shadows. Dad would have to come this way if he hoped to catch up to me... I grinned evilly, straightening up, about to head in and set up my ambush, when a pair of hands grabbed my shoulders and threw me to the ground. I let out a high-pitched scream that was quickly muffled by a leather strap being firmly knotted around my mouth.

"Be quiet and I'll make your end quick." A cold voice said. I looked around, trying to catch a glimpse of my captor when a small shimmer appeared on the wall. I closed my eyes, praying he didn't have what I thought he did.

"Or, I may just slice apart your limbs, one by one and I won't LET you die until I'm done. Depends on how well you behave. My client will be pleased.. Your a beautiful little lady. A shame to let such a nice body go to waste, don't you think?" He threatened. I shook my head, trying to yell for help when something sharp and cold touched my neck and I froze.

"Quiet and still, wench, and I'll make this merciful. Your choice." He chuckled. We were interrupted when a pair of footsteps echoed off the walls, and I heard a voice call out.

"I swear, Ren! I heard a scream down here somewhere!"

A second voice and footsteps, a lot heavier then the first.

"Eve, honestly! Your hearing things. It's a full moon tonight, people are attacked when the moons at it's smallest point. Minimal possible witnesses, you know?" I breathed a silent prayer of thanks. Eve and Ren heard me the first time.

"Damn, I was hoping to draw this one out longer. Sorry, princess, but I gotta take my leave." My attacker growled. Quickly, he slashed his dagger, cutting diagonally across my left eye and through the leather strap. I screamed in pain and fear, my vision being clouded in red. I curled up on the ground, panicking when I saw the pool of blood that had already formed. I felt the crimson liquid making my clothes heavier by the second, and it only served my panic more.

I heard a gasp, and Eve's voice call out "Ren, go find Hibiki! Quickly!" followed by thudding footsteps and a body skidding down next to me. Familiar hands cradled me, entirely oblivious to the blood.

"Alex, what happened?!" Eve asked, moving my hands.

"I can't see!" I whimpered, and Eve gently cooed in my ear.

"It's gonna be fine. I promise you." He said, rocking me back and forth on the ground.

"Eve... I'm scared.." I said, my good eye wanting to cry but if it did, I couldn't tell. My head was starting to feel dizzy.

"I know. Your going to be ok. Rens gone to find your dad and a medic." He cooed, all the while rocking me. "Your going to be fine."

"No I'm not... You know it." I bantered, my vision going black.

"Just hang in there, Alex. Please..." I could hear the desperation in his voice. My Eve being desperate with a girl? Heck, I must be a lot worse then I thought.

"Alex!" I heard my dads voice from somewhere around me, and somewhere far off the sounds of an emergency magicmobile. I can't imagine what any of the Trimen thought when they saw me. To be honest, I don't really want to know. The three of them and my moms spirits are the highlights of my life, the only downside being I couldn't go with them on jobs or to the Celestial Spirit world.

The last thing I remember before my world going from red to black was two worried faces looking down at me.


	2. Chapter 1:Three Months Later

**A/N: You know what, I'm in a good mood, and I'm sick of key signatures, so I emailed myself the next chapter to upload. =3**

**HOWEVER, what I'm even more sick of is trying to figure out scripting issues, so if that happens with this chapter, you're SOL. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED! But ya, all I had to do to fix that was re-do the document (which I had done several times.) BUUUUT I kept on forgetting to REPLACE THE FREAKING CHAPTERS. So there's my probably tenth facepalm moment today! **

**But I'm so happy! Celestial Wings has only been up for like an hour at most and it has like 20 views (give or take 10!) -squeals- I know it's hardly anything, and if I were an actual official author living off that salary, I'd be on the streets, but this is the first piece of writing I've done I'm actually and truly proud of, and that's the most people who have ever read my work! (Sad.. I know... My parents don't see anything I write in my spare time, so gimme a break!) IT'S A PERSONAL RECORD! #fangirlingformyself.**

**Sorry, I'm not usually so self-centered, I'm just REAL excited about this. ONE HOUR! ERMAGERD! **

**So yah, enough of my self devotion, I am going to go try to calm down. This'll be the last update for today for good, and probly this week too, unless Take Your Kid To Work Day is oh-so boring and I have enough time to write after I finish helping my mom with filing her files at her work. So yah, it's going to be a LOOOOOONG Wednesday this week..! But yah, enjoy, as I fangirl to myself and scream into my pillow. Gimme a break though, you gotta understand my excitement over this. In one way or the other.**

It's been three months since the attack. Supposedly, it was only in the next couple days afterward that my mom had her next session with Aries, whom Leo promptly swapped places with Aries and demanded that Karen release him and Aries' contracts over to me. Though, of course, my mother refused. Leo claimed that he wasn't leaving our world until she agreed and forfeited the two keys over. I still haven't gotten them, even though she hasn't been able to eat for the entire duration. Recently though, she claimed she was fed up with Leo's stubbornness and took a job.

We haven't heard a word from her for a week. I know my mother doesn't deserve it, but I'm beginning to get worried. She isn't powerful enough to summon multiple spirits at once when she's at her strongest, let alone now.

"Please, Master... At least let me look around town." I begged Master Bob, though he shook his head.

"The Trimen would have my head if you went out alone again. Remember what happened last time?" I groaned. How could I forget?

I almost. Freaking. Died.

The doctor said I was lucky to get out with my life, what with how much blood I had lost. He said my body was ninety percent drained by the time the wound had been stitches together, though I didn't give much of a crap about that. That man left me half-blind and a massive scar running diagonally across my face. My dad almost went on a rampage, tearing the town apart building by building looking for a man that even came close to my description, which was pretty feeble. He found several suspects, but every one I turned down immediately after hearing their voice. There was no way I could forget it.

After that, I've never been able to step outside without dad or Eve right at my shoulder a minimum. Ren was almost always out on solo jobs nowadays, though I can't exactly blame him. After my attack, the entire Blue Pegasus guilds been acting strange around me, like if they didn't know whether or not to pity me. Quite frankly, I'm getting a bit fed up with it.

"Alex, hunny?" Master Bob asked.

"Huh? Oh, sorry, Master, just thinking... But ya, I'll stay here until one of them get back." I sighed, bored out of my mind.

"If you want something to do.." He started, but I cut him off.

"I've already washed the tables, wiped the counter, swept the floor, cleaned the windows, dusted the chandelier, organized the books in alphabetical order by author and publish date, heck, I even waxed the support beams." I said, pointing at the ceiling where the support beams shone and sparkled as they reflected light off the fresh coding of wax I rubbed on with my bare hands in an attempt to draw out the length of the activity.

"Oh..." Master Bob was dumbfounded. "Well, thank you Hun..."

"Not a problem, Master." I said in the now-daily routine.

"Do you want to read a book in the meantime..?" He asked. I groaned.

"Read all of them." It's actually surprising how used to an oddball when your stuck with them twenty-four/seven. Master Bob hardly affects me anymore. In a negative way... He's more like a... I don't want to say role-model, because he's not... He's anything but that unless the kid has noodles for brains... but there's not really another word to describe it.

"Oh..." He repeated. "Well, you could.. No, you did that already. Or... Did that last month... You could wash... That's actually off the checklist..." He said. I sighed.

"Thanks for trying, Master. There's just... Nothing for me here." I said sulkily. My heart felt like it was tearing apart when that realization hit me. Blue Pegasus is the only thing I know, where all my family and friends are. To be dead weight on the guild, it wasn't a happy feeling.

"Now hang on a minute, surely there's something..." He was cut off when Ren came running through the doors of the guild hall, followed by Eve and Hibiki. Almost immediately I brightened up. Eve stopped next to me, while Ren and Hibiki walked up to the Master, Ren holding an orange slip of paper. They were all out of breath.

"Job... Rumor... Letter... Karen... Died... Master..." Ren panted, his voice void of emotion, more-so then normal. My dads face was a rock shell for all I knew. My eyes widened in shock.

'Mom... Can't be... Dead...' I thought to myself, my mind running a mile a minute. I felt Eve's hand slide into my own, and instinctively closed my fingers around his for support, my eyes stinging with tears. Witch or not, you only get one mom and dad, and it's not like a kid can choose what their parents are like. I shook my head, pretending like it wasn't true at least for a second. Like just for a second, Karen would walk through the guild doors and be the perfect mom I've always wanted her to be.

I wanted to laugh at myself.

Karen's gone, and you should be thankful, I wanted to say to myself.

But everything was caught in a lump in my throat. The only thing I could do was cry.

Before the others saw the tears I turned away from Eve, walking towards the door.

"Where are you going?" Hibiki demanded.

"To the ruins. I'm going to see Leo, and nothing you say will stop me." I snapped. "You can't baby me forever, dad. Today I'm thirteen years old, and yes, I was attacked once, but how am I ever supposed to learn how to protect myself if I'm not allowed to step foot outside without one of you as a bodyguard? One day there will be a time when I'm attacked, and not you guys nor Leo will be able to help me. And when that day comes, I want to be able to fight, so I don't die!" I ranted, and when none of them argued, I pressed to my advantage.

"I almost died once, yes. I'll accept that you want to protect me from now on because of that. I was given another chance for a reason. I don't want that chance to be wasted on maid duties! I'm not hopeless just because I have one shitty eye! No offense." I added the last part to Master Bob who shrugged, not wanting to get in the way of an all to clearly pissed-off teenage girl. Without another word, I turned and stormed out of the guild hall, slamming the door behind me and breaking into a run towards the western ruins.

With the door shut and confident I wasn't being followed, I let my good eye waterfall with tears. When I got to the outskirts of town, I stopped and slumped against a tree, falling to the ground. I just sat there for a bit, bawling all the water out of my body. I cried for my mom, I cried for my dad, I cried for Blue Pegasus, I cried for the other Trimen, I cried for Leo and Aries, but most of all I cried for myself. I cried the tears I haven't been able to cry all my life, about everything that's happened. Ever since I was little, my body has refused to let tears fall, and today it was all finally allowed to come out.

"That was some speech, Hun." I heard Master Bob's voice right next to me and I jumped five feet out of my skin.

"GAAAAHHHH! How long have you been there!" I yelled. He raised an eyebrow at me, and I stopped, wiping my eye. "Uuuhhh, sorry Master... You just startled me is all." I apologized quickly.

"Oh no, you have every right to yell, Alex. Though, just out of curiosity after what happened in the guild hall, what would you have done had I been one of the Trimen?" He asked, his eyes sparkling mischievously.

"That would depend... If you were Ren, I'd have beaten you to a pulp, if you were my dad, I'd have given you another speech, then beaten you to a pulp, if you were Eve, I'd give you another speech, possibly hug you until your guts exploded, and possibly afterward beaten you to a pulp. And they would've deserved the beating, because I think I made my point that I don't want to see them." I cracked my knuckles, as if to prove I could have if I tried. The Master chuckled lowly. I blinked at him. "What? I did!"

"No, I just found several things in that _speech_ interesting. For one, you forgot a Trimen. Two, why hug Eve?" He asked. My body had a mixed reaction of blushing and shivering.

"Ichiya creeps me out, so if HE showed up, I would've screamed, beaten him to a pulp, then turned and ran off giddily into the sunset laughing hysterically and started a life of crime because I went insane. As to Eve..." I trailed off, my cheeks burning. The Master let out another chuckle.

"No need to answer that one, Hun... I've had my suspicions since the attack." He said. I looked at him like he grew a third eye.

"Since the attack? Why?" I asked.

"Ohhh dear, your dad and Ren didn't tell you?" He asked, grinning.

"Noo... What happened?"

"A certain blond wizard may have refused to leave your side the entire time you were out." I'm not sure what to think about where this was going. "He even refused to change his clothes after he found you. Covered in blood, the doctor practically banished him from the room until he came back with fresh clothes on. Even then, Ren had to drag him to get changed."

My face was beet red, I just knew it. Eve... I had no idea he stayed there the entire time. "Your dad gave him a mouthful, too. Said you were to young. Eve had a couple retorts to that himself." I grinned, picturing the two of them having the same conversation me and my dad had the night. I wanted to laugh at the image, but I still had some pent-up anger at the three of them that held it down.

"Eve... Did he really stay there those two weeks? I mean, I was in and out the entire time. I think I only woke up alone once or twice, but still..."

"Enough of this chatter, Hun. You ran outside and broke your fathers biggest recent rule with a mission in mind." I giggled at his sudden seriousness, though I couldn't help but feel excited. I hadn't been able to see Leo since the attack, even though he's been there the entire time.

"Let's go then!" I cheered, half walking half sprinting towards the ruins I could see on the next hill over.


	3. Chapter 2: Leo the Lion

**A/N: Two chapters got done this past week! So I shall be uploading this one, then another directly after, because, as always, I'm just too lazy to come on when I get the first chapter done, upload it, and then come on when I get the next chapter done to upload! NO, I'm just THAT awesome at procrastinating! HECK YA! =.="**

**So ya, here's chapter two of Celestial Wings, and I hope you guys enjoy!**

"LEO!" I called, waving to him. He was standing on the hill, the multi-colored leaves of Fall circling down around him as if they were worshipping a god.

"Alex!" He called in surprise, taking a few steps towards me and I jumped into his extended arms. I felt so happy in that moment I almost forgot about everything. Though, that was with my eyes closed, and he hadn't noticed my scar yet in our embrace.

He pulled me out at arms length to study me, almost immediately freezing.

"What happened to you?" He asked, tracing a finger over the delicate, ugly mark across my face.

"You don't know..?" I asked slowly. Leo shook his head.

"I haven't been in touch with anybody. I'd have no way of knowing, Alex... I'm sorry." I felt my eye rimming with fresh tears, and he pulled me into another embrace. I recounted the quick version of the past three months, leaving out my mom for now, and afterwards he tensed up, pulling me closer to him.

"I should've been there... I could've saved you..." He muttered darkly. "I left too soon. I should've stayed until I was sure you would be safe. I'm sorry..." He kept on repeating in my ear. I shook my head at him this time.

"It's fine, Leo... There wasn't much you could have done. That guy would've knocked you out cold first. There was no warning... I didn't sense him. If anyone's at fault, it's me and him. I should've been stronger." I said. He wouldn't take that for an answer.

"Don't you dare put yourself at fault, Alexandria. Nobody should have to deal with a life like yours. It's not fair." He growled.

"Nothing's ever fair, Leo... It's just how life is. We deal with the stepping stones in our way down the river. Everyone has something they have to overcome." He looked at me and smiled.

"Since when were you so wise? Three months ago, you were a little girl running at me for protection against Karen. Now you've grown up." He said, though not without noticing a change in the atmosphere when he brought up my mom. I grinned feebly.

"Almost dying can make a girl see the light in things she couldn't see before, wise guy." I said. Master Bob let out a cough to get our attention.

"I'd hate to ruin the reunion between spirit and future wizard, but we're here on... Business..." He said, and my face immediately dropped. Leo looked between us, clearly confused.

"Why? Did something else happen?" He asked the Master. He nodded.

"Do you want to tell him, or shall I?" The Master asked me. I looked at him, the message clear in my expression. He nodded in understanding.

"Earlier today, Ren came back from his job... With a letter, about Karen..." Master started. Leo still looked confused. "She took on a job about a week ago, and we hadn't heard from her since." Leo's expression suddenly cleared as his lightbulb went off.

"She tried summoning multiple spirits..." He said, clearly devastated. My good eye let a few tears drop, landing on the rim of his tux. Master Bob nodded.

"She hasn't eaten or worked in three months... We all advised against it, but she was desperate. She couldn't pay her rent, or buy food... She died around noon yesterday." Master Bob explained. Leo dropped to his knees.

"I never wanted this... I just wanted her to realize that Celestial Spirits aren't tools to be used however she wished! We're living, breathing creatures just like her! I never wanted her to die!" He sobbed, "KAREN!" He shouted, his head in his hands.

"Leo..." I started, though Master Bob cut me off.

"Let's leave him for now, Hun." He said. Though I wasn't leaving just yet. I walked up Leo, wrapping my arms around him, I buried my face in his hair.

"I'll come back later. I promise." I told him. He didn't answer, so I got up and left Leo the Lion to grieve.

While we were walking back, I couldn't take the silence anymore.

"Master, what'll happen to Leo now?" I asked. The master only shrugged, and the silence resumed once more.

When we got back to town, I told him I'd take a walk around town, and think things over. He agreed readily, saying I needed some time alone and that he'd make sure the Trimen didn't come after me. I thanked him wholeheartedly for that. The last thing I wanted was to deal with people right now...


	4. Chapter 3: Alarm!

**A/N: A little longer then the last..? Ya, I didn't know where to stop with the last chapter, so I settled where it did, and this upload is totally ruining the cliffhanger.. Not that it was a good one, though... SOOOO ya, said everything I needed to really in the last update, and ya... Ya... Ok, Imma stop drawing this out, and hope you enjoy! =3**

**OHH one more thing: I started writing this with the idea that Eve would've been in Blue Pegasus for about 1 1/2 yrs, and that he DID in fact complete his Rune Knight training, he just left because he felt like he didn't really fit in there. So just thought I'd bring that up, and keep that in mind when you start getting to the end of this chapter. So ya...**

**OHH SORRY ABOUT THIS I know how annoying a long A/N can be, and the reader is just like "get to the point already you stupid -BEEP-!" but I just gotta say this! In my mind, the first few chapters are for getting everything settled, characters introduced, and doing some explanatory stuff (which I honestly SUCK at _ ) so I'm trying to break this habit, but until I do, it's going to be choppy and sudden until everything is settled, which it will be obvious when. Every writer has they're flaws. Going at a steady pace (and doing an outline/rough drafts) is mine. So, bare with me for who knows how long it'll be before that's fixed up!**

I was walking through the market, taking my time and smelling the roses, when I nearly jumped five feet out of my skin for the second time that day. The city's alarm bells sounded, and almost immediately an explosion came from the central part of town.

Right at the guild hall.

The citizens went into a panic, the soldiers scurrying to their emergency posts. I let out a sigh of frustration. I mean, seriously. Nowadays, whenever I'm alone, something bad just HAS to happen! It's like I'm cursed, I swear! Whatever.

I darted towards the explosion without thinking things through first. At the moment, only one thing was on my mind;

The Trimen were all over there somewhere.

I pushed through crowds, swimming against the tide. Though when I reached the pavilion, the sight before me froze me in my tracks.

The dust was still clearing, though I could see no sign our guildhall, my home, had ever been there other then a dead heap of rocks. There were scattered bodies all around, although none were to seriously wounded from what I could tell. Though my gaze fell on three in particular, and the figure before them made me reel back in shock. That mask haunted my nightmares still... It was the man who attacked me three months ago, and left me with a seriously under-blooded filled body and one functioning eyeball. As soon as he saw me, he let out a hallow laugh with that cold voice of his.

"Well well, I guess I got my timing wrong. You weren't here after all, princess. I guess those worthless clowns weren't lying after all." He said, taking a step closer to me. "What was it I said three months ago? Silent and quiet, and I may show mercy on you." He grinned maniacally, fingering his silver dagger that rested in it's sheath. "Or, you can scream and writhe in pain, let me enjoy it and I'll take you apart limb," he unsheathed his dagger, pricking a finger so a drop of crimson appeared. "By," I looked back and saw the Trimen all move a little, Eve raising his head. "Limb." He stood up weakly, the cloaked man oblivious to the fact the young teenager had woken up.

"So, what're you gonna do? You've already lost your former element of surprise. That same trick won't work on me twice." I said, my voice small. The man merely laughed.

"While that may be true, you were pathetically weak the last time we met... I doubt you could've gotten much stronger over the course of three mere months." He said.

"I have gotten a lot stronger." I said, attempting to keep my voice steady. I winced as it cracked, though be it fear or anger, I couldn't tell.

"Well, I guess I'll just have to test that theory." He grinned maniacally, sending a shiver up my spine.

"I guess so." I spoke through clenched teeth, balling my fists at my sides. Without warning, he jumped me, coming from my blind side. He threw a punch, locking into contact with my jaw and I flew back a couple feet, landing on my back and struggling to get back up.

"Where did all that strength go, princess? Or was that just bravado?" The man scoffed, "Your a hopeless fighter with that eye." My good eye flickered angrily, and I jumped up, dashing toward him again. I heard Eve's voice call out

"What do you think your doing?!" I shrugged, stopping in my tracks. I looked at him over my shoulder.

"Things, actually. For one, I'm the only thing standing in between you guys and him. Second, he came here for me, so I'm simply giving the guy what he wants." I spoke through clenched teeth, trying to act like it wasn't a big deal. "Also, I've got a score to settle with him from three months ago." He shook his head, all to clearly panicked. While I was distracted, I felt a force hit my side, and I was thrown into the air, landing on the other side of the man, so he was between me and the Trimen. I coughed, gasping for air when I hit the ground. I felt the ground shake, and sensed he was walking towards me.

'Just how powerful is this guy?' I thought to myself, desperately trying to come up with a plan, quick. 'Anything... Come on, Alex.. Think, damnit, the Blue Jewel brought to her knees by some freak... Worthless, weak idiot...'

Eve looked at the man, and I could almost feel the hatred and anger radiating from him.

"So, your the coward who attacked Alex? You know, I could almost laugh. Your pathetic in terms of criminals." Eve spoke up, snow and wind beginning to spiral around him like a hurricane. The man whipped around, snarling.

"Watch your tongue, kid. Unless you want a piece of me, after I gut out princess here of course." He instantly turned back towards me, a pulse appearing from his hand that sent me careening across the room, crashing against the wall and collapsing to he ground in a heap, winded. Eve's winds became more intense, and he was actually starting to scare me a little.

"I'd watch YOUR tongue if I were you... I'm not sure you realize exactly who your dealing with here." Eve warned him, his eyes going up in flames. "The title Rune Knight isn't just handed out to anyone!" He outstretched his hands to the sides, the snow that had been flying around him zeroing in to one or the other. His eyes turned a glassy color, and his voice changed so he sounded more like an echo then the thirteen year old Eve that I knew.

"White Blizzard: Winters Creation!" He shouted, the encircling snow and wind flying towards the cloaked man. The last thing I heard from him was "AWW CRAP!" before the attack hit, and he went flying off into the wild blue yonder. Eve reeled back and forth, collapsing in on himself and I jumped forward, catching him just before he hit the stone rubble.

"Eve!" I blurted out worriedly, gently but swiftly running my hands across his body in search of injuries.

"This is the opposite of what it was last time that guy came..." He let out a tired laugh, and I smiled. "I just... Wore myself out, I guess."

"Your sure your not hurt?" I eyed him over again. His clothes were ragged and torn, evidence of the explosion.

"Well, I'm not too seriously hurt. I wouldn't go as far as saying I'm not hurt, though. And I ache all over." He grimaced, and my eyes flashed with concern. He laughed softly. "Relax... I said it wasn't anything serious. Some scratches, a bit of blood, possibly a broken ankle..." He trailed off after that, and my eyes widened.

"I thought you just said nothing too serious!" I felt like hitting him. The jerk. He laughed again.

"That was just a test."

"A test for what?"

"A test for whether you love me." I blushed beet red at that point, and he smile.

"And did I pass said test that goes to rather personal levels?" I tilted my head slightly.

"I need one more answer to determine your grade..." He trailed off, curling his hand around my neck. I blushed an even darker red, and he pulled me into a gentle, passionate kiss.

My head swam, and my heart was pounding so loud I was sure Eve could hear it. He broke the kiss, leaning back against the rocks, he pulled my head so it rested against his chest, and we just payed there for awhile, my arm draping across his stomach. I'm not sure how long we stayed stayed like that, but at some point I started drifting off to sleep. Right as my breathing settled and eyes closed, I heard him whisper two words into my ear that set my heart racing.


	5. Chapter 4: Secrets

**A/N: I HAVE HONESTLY NO IDEA WHY THE HECK THIS TOOK SO FREAKING LONG! Minus the fact it is incredibly long... And I've been overloaded with homework the past month... And my lunch hours have been filled doing homework at school... Or I was doing character designs for a different fanfic currently in the process (yes, another one... I'm slowly killing myself _ )... OK, so maybe I DO have a small idea on why this took so long! Possibly... But ya, I AM still alive, despite the fact it's been almost an entire month. So ya, Christmas break is coming up, so YAY! I'll have two whole weeks to write, draw, play games and go out with my friends WITHOUT HAVING TO WORRY ABOUT BLOODY HOMEWORK! SCORE! *fistpump* WOO WOO WOO!**

**Heh.. So, ya... Moving on... Hope you guys enjoy this chapter, because it's FINALLY done. You know, I always spazz at cliffhangers when other authors do them, and yet, I don't think I've gone a single chapter in anything I've ever written that wasn't a cliffhanger... I'm just THAT awesome!**

~Eve's PoV~

I woke up by a pair of hands gently shaking me. I opened my eyes to see Ren smirking at me, his eyes glinting in amusement. Remembering what happened before I had fallen asleep, I let out a small blush, carefully sitting up as to not wake Alex.

"Did Hibiki see us?" I asked worriedly, not wanting to think about what her overprotective father would do to me, even though we're in the same team AND guild. Ren shook his head, smiling and giving me one of his rare laughs.

"He's still out cold. You know intellectual magic energy recharges slower then combat magic energy." I let out a sigh of relief, looking down at the sleeping form beside me.

"You have to wonder what she thought during that... After three months." I said softly, my hand twining itself in her emerald hair. Ren looked surprised for a second, not making the connection.

"She knew the guy that attacked us?" He asked. I shook my head.

"More like who attacked her. He's the one from who jumped her three months ago. Came to finish what he started, I'm guessing." I sighed. I saw the anger rise up in his eyes, and I quickly added, "Don't worry... I gave him a pretty clear message we didn't want him around." Ren nodded, his expression returning to his normal cool demeanor.

"That's always good." He said, looking down at Alex. "I wonder if she'll still be angry when she wakes up." He thought aloud. I let out a weak laugh.

"I think after everything that's happened, she'll have forgotten about it."

"Don't be so sure." We both jumped at her sudden voice. She sat up, rubbing her eyes.

"How long have you been awake, exactly?" Ren asked, narrowing his eyes in joke-suspicion.

"Heard everything after 'gave him a pretty clear message,' so I'm guessing, looking at prioritized conversation topics, I haven't missed much." Both me and Ren looked at her for a second before bursting out laughing. She blinked at us, confused. "What? What did I say that's so funny?" She asked, her expression so innocent and clueless it made her look adorable.

"Nothing... Your just definitely Hibiki's daughter." I breathed in between laughs. She blinked twice, then her lightbulb went off and she smirked.

"I'm not going to learn Archive magic, though. Especially after everything that's happened, I want to learn to fight." Her voice dropped slightly, looking at the ground.

"Alright then." I said lightly, trying to cheer her up. She looked at me and blinked, mentally asking what I meant.

"Lessons start tomorrow." I said, and when her expression remained deadpan, I chuckled.

"Starting tomorrow, your officially my apprentice. Lessons start at dawn, so we can catch the morning chill." I stated matter-of-factly.

"WHAT?!" Her eyes practically bugged out of her head.

"I'm perfectly qualified for an apprentice. I'm a Rune Knight." I said, shrugging. When she wasn't looking, Ren and I exchanged a look and I winked. He was watching the exchange with a continual amused expression.

"Your barely a full wizard yourself!" She exclaimed. "And I never get up at dawn! I'm in bed until probably 8:00am!" Her expression was priceless.

"I'll say again, I'm a Rune Knight, and I'll settle for 6:30." I said.

"7:30."

"7:00. Final offer."

"Deal." She smirked.

"Time to break that habit, then." I laughed. She paused, and almost immediately threw her arms around me, and I hugged her back instinctively.

"Thank you..." She whispered into my ear, and I smiled.

"Anytime." I replied softly. For a second I felt her tense up, and she pulled back, looking at Ren, who grinned at her. She scowled.

"Say a word to my dad, your dead meat." Ren shook his head, pulling an imaginary zipper across his lips, locking and and throwing away the 'key.'

"Wouldn't dream of it. Anything that's been said in the past few minutes would be better off staying between the three of us." He said. I froze, my eyes widening.

"Hadn't thought of that... How're you supposed to get out that early?" I paused. She pursed her lips, thinking for a second before shaking her head.

"I'll think of something. Don't worry about that part." She said quickly.

"If you're sure... Thought, especially now, he's going to be extra-overprotective, you know." I said, and she groaned.

"He already has been... And that brings me back to something; I'm still mad at both of you!" She exclaimed, and Ren checked his imaginary watch as my eyes widened in mock-fear.

"OHHHHHH Look at the time, we really ought to be getting around around to cleaning up!" He said quickly, and I nodded, quickly getting up and trying to push some large boulders. I slumped down, almost immediately exhausted. I wasn't weak, but my body was still just too small to be doing a lot of heavy duty construction. Me and Alex both. Sadly.

"You guys are crazy." She laughed. I gave her a puppy dog face.

"Shut up and give me a hand, will you?" She looked at me, a hurt expression on her face.

"Oh, but I'm the weak, incapable, half-blind girl who wasn't allowed to step foot outside alone just this morning." She said innocently and I swore a halo and angel wings could've appeared on her right then and there.

"Weak and incapable my behind. You're helping me out." I hissed. Alex laughed, I honestly missed that cheerful sound the past few months, and I lost myself in memories before she got up and shoving her shoulder against the boulder.

"On three. One, two, THREE!" Alex counted down and we both put all our weight against the rock.

"Stupid hunk of stone." Alex hissed after about a minute of pushing. "To think I've spent so much time making you shine... YOU ARE MY NEW ARCH-NEMESIS!" She pointed a finger at it dramatically, and after a moment, we both collapsed in a fit of laughter, rolling on the ground.

"You guys are nuts." I heard Ren say, and we both turned in sync to look at him using his air magic to move the boulders, his back turned to us. Alex stuck out her tongue at him for a second, quickly turning on her look of innocence when he turned to look at us over his shoulder. I sputtered, trying and failing to hold back another bout of laughter.

"I saw that, Alex."

"I din' do nothin'." She said, using her fingers to make a halo on top of her head. Ren turned back again to look at her skeptically, his eyes narrowed.

"Sure you didn't... Your lucky you're the unofficial guild mascot, or it may be a different story." He said, flicking his hand and a strong wind current came swirling around us. Slowly, it lifted Alex up off the ground, and she let out a startled squeak.

"REN!" She yelped, flailing around as she was lifted higher into the air.

"What? I'm not doing nothing." He said, mimicking Alex's innocent tone, who scowled at him.

"FINE! Just put me down!" She snapped, and suddenly the wind stopped, causing her to drop down right. I just happened to be the thing that cushioned her fall, and I let out a big OOF of surprise.

"REN!" Now it was my turn to squeak, pushing Alex off me playfully and we both laid sprawled on the ground next to each other. I slowly wrapped my hand around hers, and slowly pulled both of us onto our feet again.

"You two go around and wake up the other guild members fit to help out with clearing this dump up. Leave any seriously wounded to rest for a bit longer." He instructed, and we both nodded. Alex, predictably, immediately went to check on her dad. I went to find Ichiya or Master Bob, or anybody else of course, though personal priorities won over. I looked over my shoulder, a warm smile breaking out when I saw Hibiki sit up and immediately throw his arms around Alex. I knew them well enough to just know he was repeatedly apologizing for whatever, and Alex was probably a little shocked, before she started laughing and telling her dad it was cool, he'd bring up this morning, and she would start snapping at him for being ridiculously over-protective and how she wasn't a baby... again.

Sure enough, their body motions followed through, telling me my prediction were correct. I wanted to laugh at the scene, but knowing her, she'd somehow hear me and start giving me a mouthful too. So I kept my distance, just to be safe.

I stopped for a second, thinking I saw a reflection from the light, though it left as quickly as it came and I shrugged, passing it off as nothing.

"Must have been my imagination..." I muttered. As I was searching around the rubble of our guild hall I felt a fresh surge of anger towards the guy that did this. "He'd better learn not to mess with Blue Pegasus anymore if he knows what's good for him."

~Alex's PoV~

My dad was crazy. And in denial. And overprotective. And a player. And the list goes on and on. I mean really, he brought up my rant from this morning. After everything thats happened this afternoon. REALLY. All three of them made that mistake... Though Ren and Eve had thought I was asleep, they still brought it up.

I had been swapped from 'looking for wounded but not seriously wounded guild members' to 'quiet down the civilians or we'd have an all out panic on our hands.' It was already an all out panic, and nothing I nor the few guards who weren't in the panic themselves did was settling anybody. While I understood where they were coming from, it was starting to stretch my nerves to a breaking point. My ear drums were still ringing from the explosion despite having, somehow, fallen asleep.

"Will everybody please calm down! Blue Pegasus is taking care of the situation, please head on to your houses, and refrain from entering the streets until further notice!" I shouted, and once again without a response, I threw my hands in the air in an official I-give-up-on-these-people gesture, storming back to the 'guild hall' and pointing out Ichiya, the creepy 'boss' of the Trimen.

"I give up with them! You want them calmed down, you get someone else to do it! Or maybe, for once, DO SOMETHING FOR YOURSELF!" I seethed, stiffly heading down the road, back toward the ruins Leo was at.

"Where are you going?" I heard Eve's familiar amused voice call out from behind me.

"The ruins, to tell Leo what's happened... He'll want to know." I said, grabbing his wrist and pulling him along with me. "And you're coming with me. So long as that's alright with you..?" I added sarcastically. I could almost feel his grin.

"Fine with me. But, just this morning, weren't you willing to kill us just to be able to go somewhere alone?" He asked innocently, and I turned and glared daggers at him.

"That was this morning, and I told my dad, I'll tell you now. Stop bringing that up, what after everything that just happened."

"You don't WANT to be alone after everything that's happened, do you?" He asked, his voice suddenly gentle. I froze mid step, looking at the ground.

"Let's get going." I grunted.

"All riiiight." He drew out with a sigh. I groaned, pausing for a second.

"What?"

"I just want you to be able to tell me stuff. All three of us do. You've resigned yourself into a shell over the past few months, Alex. We're all worried. That's... One of the reasons we wouldn't leave you alone." He squeezed my hand, and a thought suddenly popped into my head.

"You know, my dads right... We are kinda young for this." I said skeptically, quickly changing the subject and he raised his eyebrows in question.

"Kinda young for what, exactly?"

"Everything. The fighting, magic... Us." I said quickly, blush rising in my cheeks. Eve let out a short laugh.

"So long as he-who-must-not-be-named doesn't hear about it, I could care less." He smiled, looking at me, and I smiled back. "Enough of this depressing chatter. We have an unofficial meeting to attend to." He stated matter-of-factly, putting up a serious air for a second before ruining it, planting a quick kiss on my cheek and sprinting off, laughing hysterically. I let out a shout of surprise before it registered and I went sprinting off after Eve towards the ruins, for the second time that day.

**A/N: Like I said above, cliffhanger.**


	6. Chapter 5: Gone?

**A/N: I had to re-upload this chapter due to scripting issues, again, and I have no clue what I said in this A/N... So... Ya... Hope you enjoy this chapter.**

"Leo? LEO?!" I called out Leo's name again and again, searching high and low, under and above rocks and trees, scanning the surrounding hills again and again as the leaves fell in circles around me.

"Alex, face it. He isn't here." Eve called out to me from inside the ruins, and I sighed, trudging in after him.

"I can see that. But where would he be?" I asked, my imagination swimming with possibilities. "He couldn't have disappeared... He was fine just this morning!" My voice cracked, fear taking over from those possibilities racing through my brain. Eve raised an eyebrow at me, as if to say;

Fine this morning? Didn't you tell him his summoner, and your mother, died this morning?

"Well, as fine as one could be after receiving news like that." My voice practically drooled with sarcasm, and I returned his look evenly. But then I dropped to my knees, another wave of fear crashing over me, again and again as events of that day finally started clicking together in my mind. Finding out my abusive mother was dead, the attack on the guild hall from none other then the man who attacked me three months ago, Leo's sudden disappearance... What if they were all somehow linked?

... What if they were all somehow linked to me? If it had been my fault... All of Blue Pegasus almost died because of me, as I now realized. Why else would that exact man have come back? And it sure didn't seem like he had just felt like attacking Blue Pegasus. It had all too clearly been for a reason, and I was that reason.

As for Leo... What if Eve hadn't sent the man flying as far as we thought? In Leo's broken state, it would have been all too easy for that guy to just walk up and capture, or even kill, him. If Leo was dead because of me...

I cut myself off there, both not wanting and not allowing the thoughts continue. Leo was still alive, and from what I had seen, there were few, if any, casualties from the explosion at the guild hall. But yet... If it were all because of me... Everyone was still in danger... Just then I felt Eve's warm hand on my shoulder. He had probably guessed my thoughts, and he sat down beside me.

"Don't even think about blaming yourself." He stated, and I looked at him quizzically.

"Whatever do you mean?"

"You know exactly what I mean. None of today was your fault. And neither is Leo suddenly disappearing. I'm sure there's a perfectly good reason for it." He said, and I squinted my eyes, sticking my tongue out at him. When I heard him let out a small bout of laughter, I stared at him, blinking a few times in confusion. In between gasps of breath, he tried to explain.

"S-sorry.. I know this... Is sudden and off topic... You just had the exact same that you did the day we met." He said, before doubling over in laughter again, and this time I joined in, completely forgetting about the worry and fear I had felt only moments ago. Somewhere in the laughing, Eve's voice registered in my brain. "You remember that day? It feels like just weeks ago..." He sighed, and I sat up straight.

"How could I forget? My dad's face was absolutely priceless. Not to mention its when I unknowingly met my best friend." I grinned, elbowing him in the ribs. He looked over at me, a hurt expression on his face.

"Best friend? Pardon me, Madame, but if I recall-"

"According to everyone but us and Ren, best friend." I cut him off mid sentence. "Because if my dad finds out..." I trailed off, not wanting to think about the wrath of Hundred Night Hibiki, aka my overly protective father. Eve clearly felt the exact same as I did, and silence stole over our conversation. Quietly, after a couple moments silence, his arm stole it's way around me, pulling me closer to him. Over that silence my mind wandered back to the day that Eve had stumbled into our guild hall...

**A/N: Alex has finally gotten her fathers intellectual instinct and realized something didn't quite fit in with the plot of her life! Among her realizations, however, they only bring up more questions! Who is the cloaked man with the knife, and what's so significant about Alex that he blew a highly-known guilds hall to the ground looking for her? Three months later?**  
><strong>The answers, well, those are firmly tucked away in my mind, and will be revealed when they're revealed! MWAHAHAHA!<strong>


	7. Important update!

*~*WARNING!*~*

OK! This is VERY important story-wise, so I SUGGEST YOU READ THIS! 

*looks around* Do I have your attention? Good. 

I've kinda really screwed up with the aging process. In the Oracion Seis arc, Hibiki and Ren are both twenty years old, as I just found out literally a few minutes before writing this. And seeing as Celestial Wings is three years before the commencement of the show, that would make Hibiki and Ren seventeen. And that was where my problem was. Alex is thirteen in chapter one, so in order for Hibiki to be her father, that would mean he had to have "made" her when he was four years old. FOUR FREAKING YEARS OLD. I don't know about anyone reading this, but that doesn't sit well with me! Even IF Hibiki is a major womanizer! So, in order for things to work out on the physically possible side and to keep my own sanity in check, I've boosted his and Ren's age up by twelve years (but don't think I enjoy teenage pregnancies. My own sister had a daughter at fourteen, and it ruined her life. I just don't want them to be old men by the time this is done,) so here's the timeline for him, and, to keep it lore-permitted, Ren: 

Age sixteen: Alex is born  
>Age twenty seven: Eve joins Blue Pegasus, thus completing the Trimen<br>Age twenty nine: Three years before Season one of the show, aka the recent events of Celestial Wings  
>Age thirty two: The Oracion Seis arc, or anything pre time-skip on the show<br>Age thirty nine: The Grand Magic Games, or anything post time-skip on the show 

I'm also going to have to boost Ichiya by twelve years, as pre time-skip he was twenty nine, and I enjoy being able to call him the old, creepy leader of the Trimen without the realization that my screw up fix would have Hibiki and Ren being older then he is, and if you've seen Fairy Tail, I should hope you realize how much that would NOT work out in anyones favour!

Also, if you HAVE in fact read my previous A/N, you'll know for me Eve left the Rune Knights and joined Blue Pegasus a couple years before the events of Celestial Wings, so this chapter is when he and Alex are eleven. I just deemed this necessary to mention, in case you didn't pick up on it from the afore-written timeline. And no, I don't intend on changing the Trimens relationship and/or interactions because of this play on ages. They're a tight group of genuine friends, and it's only a *SPOILER WARNING UNTIL NEXT PARAGRAPH* seven-year difference when we get into the the Oracion Seis arc from the original ages. And yes, not all of Celestial Wings will be before SE01EP01, It'll be spread over the entire show with plot-twists so I can successfully implant Alex into the story without adding on any more stress.

If you don't like these changes I've made to Fairy Tail's lore, I suggest you either suck it up (because it's really not going to be brought up all that often) or get out, because in my mind, TODDLERS DON'T MAKE BABIES, and I don't really want anything to do with someone who thinks that's alright, no matter how indirect our relationship may be! 

That said, I'm very sorry for this highly awkward and long update,so I hope you enjoy this chapter! Just thinking about some parts make me laugh :P 

EDIT: DANGIT Sorry everybody. Just checked my email and saw the guest review notification from MelodyGraves, who, thank you for both the compliment on previous chapters (glad you like 'em! n.n) and the warning, I had no idea it had happened -again-. But ya, if you see it (I did too when I checked it) then so does everybody else, and that's an issue. If that wasn't obvious... So, thanks for mentioning it.

Thing is, I normally write the chapters on Notes on my iPad because I'm at school and, due to it being exam period, especially now the only free time I have is lunch break. For some reason FF and the font, whatever it is Notes uses, seriously don't like eachother and the scripting showing up is the result of that. So, thanks very much for point that out, or I never would have noticed until possibly a RL friend I've included in Shadow of Betrayal reads it and got to chapter 5. I'm hoping this (I'm doing this on Google Drive now) will fix it, if not, I'm sorry but it won't be fixed for a couple of days! I legit have no time whatsoever, my Math/English teachers just don't get the fact I do in fact have a life..., on Thursdays, and on Friday I'll be studying for exams double time (making up for Thursday _") so it'll be Saturday before I get to it. I'll do this for Chapter 5 now also, but won't be playing around with it any further until I get the chance next. Which might or might not actually be tomorrow's lunch brea. I dunno what's going on honestly at school, it's my first year of SS and I'm so confuzzled with everything atm! So, once again, sorry for the inconvenience. It's not the first time that's happened, either... But, I'm kinda glad I'm going through this, because reading through the first paragraph, the image of four-year-old Hibiki testing his luck with *insert age here*-years-old Karen. I needed that laugh as a stress reliever. XD


	8. Chapter 6: Flashback p1

**A/N: Again rly sry about that whole scripting issue, I got it fixed up that night. Hopefully, it won't happen again. I've transferred all the writing I've done to Google Docs, so now I'm just praying I'll be able to use it at school. No more notes and its incredibly subtly different font! :P**

**So, hope you like this one! As said in the update (If you just skipped over or ignored it, I highly suggest you go back and read it!) Eve joined Blue Pegasus a couple years before the events of Celestial Wings, so this is what this chapter is gonna be. One good flashback where there's some more character dev. for Alex and Eve who is a little OC I've realized. I'm trying to keep that down to a minimum, though. Sorry if that bothers anybody. One of my challenges as a writer is bringing the original characters personalities over from the actual thing they're from, and if what I've read/seen is anything to go by, that's a pretty common struggle.**

~Eve's PoV~

I trudged blearily through the snow, shivering. The cold shouldn't be affecting me, yet it was, and I wasn't enjoying it one bit. My ex-Knight Commander Lahar had suggested that I join a guild, and if I really wanted to, I could go back to the Rune Knights when I was older. And I had every intention to go. I wasn't about to just let my dream be wasted right in front of my eyes, was I?

But, for the time being, I was stuck going through the possibilities. Fairy Tail was obviously out of the question, if I wasn't strong enough for the Rune Knights I wouldn't be strong enough for them, and Lamia Scale I've heard rumours about their master, and she freaks me out. So that only left me with one true option for the well known guilds.

Blue Pegasus.

I wasn't all to sure about them, either. The top members are highly well known, but supposedly the best title to describe them is 'pretty boys,' and I didn't feel like I'd really fit in. In the Rune Knights, it was a strict dress code, but underneath that the majority was dimwits and scruffiness. And the high probability of a couple former drunks, which would be understandable for anyone who's seen their behaviour when they're not in uniform.

I roughly shook my head, trying to clear it of any void thoughts. The Rune Knights were behind me now. In fact I wouldn't be all that surprised if they were already talking about me like I was some hopeful kid from a hundred years ago. They already talked about me as the squads loser kid when I was with them.

It just annoys me when people always pull the age card like that...

I shook my head again to clear it of those thoughts, pulling my cloak tighter around me as I walked through the streets toward Blue Pegasus' guild hall. As I neared it, I realized that they were truly serious about the whole 'Pegasus' thing. At the gates stood two majestic, rearing stone stallions with wings spread out behind them like they were about to charge at some unseen enemy. They both sparkled from the newly fallen snow that covered their manes and backs, and my feet unconsciously carried me toward the large wooden doors.

As I cracked them open, the hinges gave a slight groan and I involuntarily winced, opening it all the way in a sudden hurry. The light from inside blinded me momentarily and I blinked rapidly in succession in an attempt to clear my vision, which now had small blurs of light dancing across it. By the time my vision cleared, not anyone could prepare me for what happened next.

There was a rather large man standing in front of me. And he was wearing tiny Cupid wings. With makeup. And by makeup, I mean the real deal. This guy had lipstick, eyeliner, eyeshadow, you name it.

"Weeellll, what do we have here? Another young wizard? Hun, I wish Ooba and Makarov didn't always get the cute ones..." He went on and on, and I eventually just cut him off.

"Uhhh... Actually, sir, I'm not in a guild... Not yet, at least." That got his attention for sure.

"And you were hoping to join us, were you?" He asked, leaning in and causing me too back up a couple steps. Just than, two more males joined my 'welcoming committee.'

"Master, give the kid some breathing space." One of them spoke. He had short, orange/blond hair and solid brown eyes. The other had darker skin, with black hair and equally black eyes. They both looked like they were in their late twenties or so.

"Besides, he looks to young to be an actual wizard." The other, the dark skinned one, spoke up with a harsh voice and I straightened myself.

"Actually I'm a Rune Knight." I stated matter-of-factly. All three of them raised their eyebrows at me in surprise.

"A Rune Knight... Hoping to join Blue Pegasus..." The man said, not sounding like he believed me one bit. "Aren't you people too high up for us Guild Wizards? That sure is the impression you give everybody." I looked down, sighing. He was right. But, I couldn't give up just yet.

"I can prove it, if you want." I said, and his eyes sparked in interest.

"Is that a challenge?" He smirked, and I nodded firmly, meeting his gaze. Then, another new arrival too the team came running up.

"I hear a duel was just issued!" She cheered. The new girl looked just a little younger than me with long emerald hair that waved at the shoulders and, just like the man who I had just challenged, eyes equal to that of her hair.

"Ren, you ain't gonna turn it down, are you? It's so boring around here today!" She looked up at the man, who I'm guessing was called Ren, with hopeful eyes. Though now that I got a good look at her in the light, I could see signs of bruises around her eyes and cheeks, and a part of my heart immediately went out to her.

_What could've happened to her..?_ I thought. The other, blond man caught my gaze and shook his head in a silent message it was a story for another time. I nodded quickly in understanding. I hadn't planned on bringing it up yet anyways.

"I don't plan on it, Alex." Ren chuckled down at her, before looking back at me.

_So, grumpy guy does have a humorous side... In the couple minutes I've been here, I never would've guessed. _I smirked inwardly too myself.

"In an hour, at the ruins outside town?" He asked, stretching out his hand, and I nodded. _Works best for me if it's cold. But I don't plan on telling him that I'm a snow wizard..._

"Done." I took his hand, which dwarfed mine. _Age difference, _I reminded myself, pushing down the fear that welled up inside me momentarily. _That's why he's so much taller than me._

"Call me Ren." He smiled.

"Eve."

"My name's Hibiki, and this is Alexandria. Though everyone around here calls her Alex." He planted a hand on top of the girl's head, who looked up at him.

"Dad, I can introduce myself!" She protested. "Besides, I can't wait to see that fight!" She cheered, and Hibiki quickly cut her off.

"Oh no you don't. Not yet, anyways." He steered her shoulders away from the door, much too her vain. "Master, make sure this troublemaker _doesn't _leave the guild hall." He looked at the other man with the wings, whom I now realized was the Guild Master.

"Daaaaaddddd, you're such a party pooper." She groaned, stomping off to a nearby table. Hibiki's gaze followed her skeptically.

"I'M the party pooper..? I thought that was your job." He looked over at Ren, who was trying his best not to laugh.

"I dunno, Hibiki. Maybe you should let her come. You can't keep on mother-henning her forever, and it may be a good experience for a future Celestial Wizard." He chuckled, and Hibiki sighed in frustration.

"What about you, Eve? Should she come? It's your battle too." He looked over at me, and I shrugged.

"I doubt I'm much older than she is. I don't have a problem with her coming, though." Me and Ren exchanged an amused glance, and for a second, any hostilities between us vanished and we both burst out laughing. Alex came dashing back, grinning from ear to ear. Obviously she had been eavesdropping, something I myself did very often.

Hey, we ARE still kids. We can get away with this stuff normally.

"You guys are the best!" She launched herself onto Ren, who was still out of breath and unbalanced from laughing, and they both crashed over the ground, which only served to restart my laughter and, this time, Hibiki joined in.

After everything had settled down, I said my temporary farewells, and went to look around town. As I was walking away, I heard Alex start bombarding everyone with questions, than Hibiki sent her away and I'm pretty sure I heard him say to Ren;

"What do you think of him?" And Ren replied softly;

"If he is who he claims to be, he may be just the thing we need to really complete the Trimen."

And, suddenly, everything went back to normal as I stopped shivering from the snow.

**A/N: The flashback will continue on into the next chapter! Stay tuned for Ren and Eve's face off! =3 The next chapter should be up sometime last week of Jan./first week of Feb. probably.**


	9. Chapter 6: Flashback p2

**A/N: WOOT This chapter was so much fun! Just in case you don't pick up on it, the bold dialogue is the Archive's telepathy which, for anyone who hasn't seen the anime or read the manga, is Hibiki's magic. Anything else is normally spoken or Eve's thoughts, which, going along with the rest of my writing, are '**_**italic'**_**. It'll be going to focus more in more on Alex as the story gets going. Just a reminder, this chapter is part 2 of the memory (obviously in Eve's PoV) from when he joined Blue Pegasus a couple years before the prologue to Celestial Wings.**

**And, small announcement! The first few concept arts of Alex are up on my DA account, so if ya want to see her, the link to my profile is in my profile (go to Gallery-Fairy Tail and they should be there)! Yep, I really just said that. Link to the profile is in the profile. XD But ya, there'll probably be a few going up between every chapter, however I'll only be notifying you guys about it when character descriptions/concept art is up, so if you want to really stay up to date on Celestial Wings artwork, you'll have to take it upon your own shoulders**

**Now, enough of my continual rambling (I know I need to cut down the length of these things... Especially if it's self-advertising... Heheh... n.n'), so hope ya enjoy this chapter! And I hope the length of it makes up for the short chapters I've been doing recently.**

~Eve's PoV~

"You're sure you want to go through with this? I'm not going easy on you just 'cause you're a kid." Ren spoke, his voice unwavering across the field in front of the ruins.

"Yeah. I'd be disappointed if you did." I smirked, and he nodded. Alex, Hibiki, and Master Bob -proper introductions had been done when we met up here,- were by the wall. The ruins looked more like an old church that had gone through one to many battles more then anything.

"Kick his butt, Ren!" Alex cheered, and both of us looked over at her in surprise. Ren smirked, nodding in her direction.

"I'll definitely try." He said, and I glared at him through sainted eyes, trying to figure out what magic he used before the fight began.

_'He's clam and collected... Maybe ice-make..? It's really hard to read his energy. Just how powerful _is _this guy?' _I frowned, and Ren's voice registered in my mind.

"Well?"

"What?" I had been so deep in thought, I missed his question.

"Feeling a little nervous? I understand if you're having second thoughts. It's not too late to back out, ya know." He smirked.

"If I wanted to back out, I'd have done so already!" I snapped, and he shrugged. "Besides, there's no other path for me to take..." I muttered under my breath, and immediately froze, hoping he hadn't heard me. His expression remained unchanged though and I let out a small sigh of relief.

"So, I'll ask again. You want to start this thing, or should I?"

"If you don't mind-" I started, but was cut off by Hibiki's voice ringing across the field, and I jumped probably five feet out of my skin in surprise.

**"First off, let's put some rules down! This isn't a job request, you know Ren."** Ren rolled his eyes to the heavens, taking exaggerated steps in Hibiki's direction.

**"True, but this is an **_**assessment,**_ **Hibiki. We have to find out just how much he can take."**

**"Ten seconds on the ground, and it's over. That's all I'm asking." **His voice didn't seem physical, but more in my mind.

**"Uhhhh, if you don't mind me asking, how are you in my head?!" **My thought out, and much too my surprise, it was Alex's voice that came up next.

**"That's just a part of it. My dad uses Archive magic, so he can use telepathy." **Her reply was blunt and too the point, but cleared up a heck of a lot. There were a few Rune Knights in my old squadron who used Archive magic.

**"Good enough for me. Just keep out of my head during the fight, will ya? I know you Archive wizards can control it."**

"**Not a problem. I'll be using the Archive to record how much magic energy is being used, though. But that should be it. But, just out of curiosity, how do you know so much about it? It's a pretty recent magic."** As he said that, the familiar golden panel appeared before him in the distance.

**"Rune Knight, remember? I know a good variety of different magic types." **

**"Ya, we'll see whether or not that's true."** Ren's voice came up again, and I scowled.

**"Bring it!" **And just as quickly as that left my mind, I raised my hand in a claw-like formation and sensed more then felt the air turn chilly around me. "White Fang!" I called out, and a white magic circle appeared in front of me for half a second before disappearing as white snow came hurtling out. Ren, caught off guard, jumped up and hovered in the air for a second before easily coming back down.

"About time you attacked." He called out, and I narrowed my eyes. "Snow magic, eh? This'll be fun."

"Save the bragging for later." My voice practically dripped with sarcasm. "You may want to bite back those words!" After seeing how easily he dodged my first attack when he was caught off guard, I knew better then to belittle his power. '_This guy's the real deal, huh?_' I thought, my mind racing as the blood pounded in my ears. _'Why am is my adrenaline already so high..?'_

"If you want it to be that way, sure." He smirked, and the wind around me suddenly picked up. I heard the leaves start rustling around uncontrollably, and was distracted for a second. Just my luck, it was that second when I heard a voice shout "Aerial Shot!" and I was almost immediately surrounded by an orb of blue light, before I felt my body flying through the air and I crashed down on the rough dirt, winded. Hibiki's voice started counting down from ten, and I pushed myself up too my feet a second too early, causing me to double over with my hands planted on my knees.

**"You okay?"** I heard Alex's worried voice come up in my head, and I grinned to myself despite having just been turned into a rag doll.

**"I'm just peachy. I'm always thrown into the air like a dead leaf, nothing new there." **I thought sarcastically and Alex giggled, the sound like a song long stuck in my head. I felt a small blush come on at that thought.

_'Wha...? I just met these people! Stupid body...' _I grumbled under my breath, and was thankful that there wasn't the echo that meant the telepathy was activated. _'Looks like Hibiki's staying true to his word... The Archive's activated, but he's staying out of my mind.' _I paused mid-thought.

"Air magic!" It has just clicked in my mind. _'Not good news for me!' _Snow wizards were bad battle match ups if they were on opposing sides. All to often, it ended with us cold magic users in a heap on the ground. That said, we made good teams. The air they manipulated made amazing combinations with our snow, and was often lethal if the two wizards worked well enough together. It was something both sides of wizards preferred keeping to a low, however. If word got around to bad ears... A shiver traveled down my spine, snapping me back to reality and a vision I wish I never ended up seeing.

Ren was in a unique pose, almost like he was doing some twisted version of an Egyptian dance. The air itself was pulsing with magic energy. And I was being pulled against my will towards him.

"CRAP!" I shouted, forcing my legs to jump just as I heard his voice calmly say;

"Aerial Phose." And his body was surrounded in the same blue light that had envelopped me just a minute ago, but this was larger. Much, much larger. And much, much stronger.

"Blizzard!" I called out, mentally praying to the magic circle to hurry up and draw itself. It came a second too late, and once again I was tumbling through the air and landed with a much, much heavier thud then before. And, within no more then four or five spells, the fight was over as I held up my hand in an "I surrender" symbol, I knew I didn't stand much of a chance at this point, and saw Ren walking up to me. When he neared me, he held out his hand to help me up, which I gratefully took and muttered a thanks.

"Good job out there. I can see the training you've had, definitely." He grinned and I looked away, annoyed at myself. He ruffled my hair, clearly amused.

"Don't feel that bad about losing. To be honest, I knew I was going to win from the start. And I think you knew that too, you're just too stubborn to admit it." My head snapped back to glare at him, but a part of me knew he was right. But I was just too stubborn to admit it openly.

"You could've told me you use air magic, you know." I sighed, and he raised his eyebrows at me.

"And you could have mentioned that you use snow magic. I think we're even on those terms." He chuckled. "But back to my earlier point, I knew I was going to win from the start..."

_'Jeez, you don't need to rub it in like that...'_

"...You're just the youngest wizard I think any of us have ever seen. When it comes down to the details, I have more experience on the field. After you've been with us for a while, we'll fight again. You never know, the result may be different in a few years." I looked at him in surprise.

"'For a while?' So you mean...?" I trailed off, not daring myself too hope. I had lost the battle, after all.

"What, you think that battle was to see whether or not you could join Blue Pegasus?" Hibiki came up behind me, startling me for the second time.

"JEEZ! How many times are you going to scare me like that?!" I yelped, but still nodded slowly in response to his question.

"Good to know you think we're so mean... That was more to see whether or not you'd fit as a Trimen. We'd accept you in the guild, no matter the outcome of the battle. Right, master? Boss?" He asked turning around.

"Hold on a second..." I wanted to confirm what I had just heard to what I thought I had heard this morning. "Are you guys actually...?" Hibiki looked back at me, grinning.

"The three and only." I looked between both Ren and Hibiki.

"Well THAT explains a lot." I groaned, but something didn't sit quite right. "Wait... I thought Tri meant three... Why're there only two of you?"

"MEEEEEEEN, I smell a lovely parfume on you!" A short, square man practically flew up to me, almost cutting me off midsentence. "Sniff sniff... Sniff sniff..." He started sniffing the air around me, and I began to get seriously creeped out by this guy. "Sniff sniff... Sniff sniff..." I felt sweat break out on the back of my neck, and I snapped, simply unable to handle this guy anymore.

"That's it!" I gave him a swift, strong kick that sent him flying a few meters -I swear I heard Hibiki and Ren shout out "BOSSS!" and run after him- and took the chance to run behind a nearby group of trees, ducking behind the thickest trunk I could find in a hurry. I slowly backed up, and ended up bumping into something, or rather, someone else and quickly turned around to see Alex turning around to look at me, also surprised.

"Why're you here?!" We both cried out in unison. She quickly recovered and her hand flew over my mouth to keep me quiet.

"That man's Ichiya. He's the 'boss' of the Trimen, and has some serious mental issues. So did the Master, in a crossdressing cosplay makeup angel kind of way." She explained in a hushed whisper.

_'Good, so I'm not the only one to think that... Wait... BOSS OF THE TRIMEN? They were just testing me to join the Trimen..! There's no way I can follow that guy!' _Alex, being Hibiki's daughter as I've picked up, probably read my mind. She nodded in understanding.

"I feel you, bro. I've been stuck with that guy all my life, and he still gives me the heebie-jeebies. I don't know how my dad or uncle can handle him..." She trailed off, clearly uncomfortable with the idea that her dad and...

"Uncle? I'd have never guessed those two were brothers. They look nothing alike." I raised my eyebrows quizzically, and she quickly shook her head.

"What? No! No no nooooo!" She laughed, still keeping it at a hushed volume. Once again, the sound rang through my head like a song I've always remembered and treasured. "I just call him my uncle; atleast, that's what he acts like. Really, he's my god-father. Him and my dad have known eachother since they were kids, and now they're practically inseparable. If Hibiki wasn't my dad, I'd call it kinda cute." She turned back to peep around the trunk, and once again I saw signs of old cuts and bruises around her face. And, once again... again, a part of my heart went out to her before I followed her act and moved over to look around the tree trunk over her head.

"Hibiki and Ren sure do act different around him..." I observed as they both reassured Ichiya for whatever, silently admiring the clear admiration they had for the creepy man.

"Ya. The amount of trust and respect they have in him is ridiculous. If it were my choice, he'd be out. I don't trust him. He's to odd for me to handle." She said, looking back and letting out a small gasp of surprise and almost fell backwards on the ground.

"What?" I asked, instinctively grabbing hold of her wrist to support her and pull her up closer to me.

"Ya.. You'll fit in around here if you don't know 'what'..." She sighed. "Don't you think... You were maybe standing a little close..? Even now..." She trailed off, her cheeks a little pink.

"Oh.. Ah.. I- Er... Ya..." I stuttered, blushing and hastily backing away a step, being careful to stay in the span of the trunk.

"Hehe... It's gonna be awesome having somebody my own age around here. It gets lonely, only having my dad and Ren." She started.

"Just your dad and Ren..? What about your mom?" I asked curiously, and she looked away.

"... Don't bring up my mother..." She said tensely, her eyes watering slightly.

_'Is that it..? Now I wanna know more...'_ I thought guiltily.

"If you say so. But if you want to talk, you just need to ask." I said instead and she looked at me gratefully, giving me a quick hug, which only served to return my blush and I wrapped my arms around her reassuringly.

"Thanks... I may just take you up on that when I get to know you better." She muttered, and I grinned.

And, of course it was just such our lucky day, as Hibiki decided to find us right at that moment.

"Alex, E- WHAT ARE YOU TWO DOING?!" He shouted, storming up to us and bluntly yanking us apart by the collar. Ren scooted up, quickly pulling him off of me.

"Sorry... He gets like this when it comes to Alex..." He sighed, and I nodded my thanks to him, wearily eyeing the clearly pissed off, over-protective father. And yes, that one moment classified him as overprotective. Most definitely. His eyes were literally on fire. Me and Alex exchanged a look, and she nodded in confirmation.

**"Yup... He's definitely overprotective. Always has been." **She chuckled in my head, and my mood went from amused and a little scared to confused.

**"Wait. Isn't Hibiki the one with Archive..? How can you use telepathy?" **I asked, and she looked surprised herself for a second. **"Better keep a straight face, or they'll realize something's up." **I grinned. _'First day and we already have secrets... This'll be a fast friendship.'_

**"Uhhhh... Honestly, I don't know what I did... I just thought that... Can you use it?" **She asked.

**"Nope. I'm a snow wizard, and multi-type wizards are pretty rare."**

**"Ok... Just, don't tell my dad. Actually, let's forget this ever happened. I don't want to learn Archive magic."** She thought sheepishly.

**"I'm sorry, what're you talking about?" **I asked innocently.

**"Yaaaa that doesn't really work in this case scenario." **She elbowed me, and we both snickered before we could stop ourselves. Hibiki looked at us both suspiciously, surprising me with how quickly he calmed down.

"What? Can we get back to the guild hall before it gets dark?" Alex asked innocently.

"Fine. But don't get funny with eachother." He look us both in the eye, and I broke a sweat. That was the first time since the battle I realized my adrenaline hadn't lowered at all, because at that moment it should've gone up tenfold. _'Why... What is it with these people that gets me so excited..?' _I asked myself, but shrugged it off. From what I've seen so far, there was never a dull moment in Blue Pegasus, and a wave of realization washed over me and I started laughing despite myself. Everyone looked at me like I had sprouted a third eye.

"What?" Hibiki asked warily, narrowing his eyes.

"Sorry... It's just... Everything I've heard about you guys is totally off." I panted, and now Ren narrowed his eyes at me as well.

"Like what?" His tone matched Hibiki's perfectly, and I remembered what Alex had said about them being childhood friends.

"Ahh... You know.. Perverts, womanizers, players, that sort of stuff." I smiled, and now it was Alex's turn to burst out laughing and we all turned our attention to her.

"Hah... Actually, nothing could be closer to the truth then how you described them..." She giggled, and both Hibiki and Ren glared at her jokingly.

"What?!" They scolded in unison, and Alex took off ahead of us in order to avoid their wrath.

"... Should we go after her...? It's getting dark." I asked, nervously watching her rapidly disappearing figure in the distance.

"She knows the way back, and this city's pretty safe when it comes to nighttime dangers." Hibiki said, shrugging it off. Ren nodded in agreement.

"She'll be fine. But aren't you going to go after her?" He asked, and I shook my head.

"Actually, no... If you don't mind telling me, what's up between her and her mom?" I asked and they both suddenly got quiet, staring straight ahead. "Uhh... If you don't want to tell me yet, I get it. I just brought it up earlier, and it didn't seem like she took it very well."

"Nah, you need to find out sooner or later... And it's better not to find out the hard way. You see..." Hibiki started, his face emotionless.

(Time skip - Back to the present)

~Alex's PoV~

"The irony of that..." I grumbled. Probably unconsciously, Eve had started reciting the events of that day.

"Huh?"

"You were talking about the day you joined."

"Was I...?"

"'This city's pretty safe when it comes to nighttime dangers'... Did my own father actually say that..?" I asked him.

"Heh... He really did. Pretty crazy, huh? If at least one of us had just been more vigilante over you..." He trailed off, wrapping his arms around me tightly. "I'm sorry... I should've been there. I could've done _something_..."

"You just told me not to blame myself a few minutes ago, Eve. How can you expect me to follow that if you can't do it yourself?" He looked away, unable to meet my gaze.

"Since when were you so wise?" He asked me, and I grinned at him, pointing at my ugly butt scar.

"Almost dying can do that to a person, you know." I managed to say lightheartedly, trying to cheer him up. But it was hard, on such a subject and with Leo's sudden and silent disappearance. And it only seemed to serve in making him more upset.

"Cmon... We should head back. Leo's clearly not here. And if you want me up at seven, that ain't going to be happening if I'm up half the night." I started to get up, pulling his hand. But he grabbed the hem of my tank top, holding me back.

"Please... Let's just stay here for a bit." He asked me.

"Uh, ya, sure." I said softly, sitting back down next to him. I could tell from how tightly he was holding me next to him he was scared. And I couldn't really blame him with recent events.

~?'s PoV - third perspective~

"Princess, princess... You'd better know what you're doing..." A handsome, white-haired man muttered under his breath. He turned back to look at his comrade, a fiery red-headed girl with a wolf tail and ears protruding from her body.

"Well, Blitz? Now do you believe it's her?" He asked. Blitz, the red-headed girl, frowned.

"I dunno, Pegasus. She has the scar, that's for sure. And I can feel the power emanating from her... But I have a hard time believing that Odin got it right. He never does, and I just can't trust him with that acidic voice of his."

"I know the feeling, Blitz, but we don't have a choice. She already knows his voice, and she'll never forget it. I wish there was another another way, but the legends explicitly state the Midnight Raven must be the one to do it. Only then can we interfere, and only after she begins learning her first magical ability." Pegasus, the white-haired man, twitched the snow off of his majestic white wings, eager to be able to fly again.

"Which, just our luck, will be tomorrow." Blitz chuckled, flipping her flaming hair over her shoulder.

"And tomorrow night, the return of our clan commences at last." He replied, grinning, water droplets dancing around him in excitement.

**A/N: PLOT TWIST! MWAHAHAHA! Just who is the guy that attacked Alex? And Hibiki has bad jinxing powers to, apparently. Not just Archive...**

**Sorry if this is progressing at too fast a rate, I just wanna get the plot going so, SO badly. I'm literally twitching in excitement right now. But, it's 1:30am, and I have EQAO tomorrow for math, so Imma get this uploaded, pray the bold shows up, pray the scripting DOESN'T EFFIN' SCREW UP AGAIN, JEEZ, and pray I won't be over-tired for that stupid math exam.**

**I swear teachers are all like "2 weeks off school? Here's a huge project worth 15% of your mark, and a test in a month will also be worth 15% of your mark that's required for your graduation. Oh, and while your at it, here's twenty other minor projects and tests to study for, aswell as all your other nightly homework! Oh, you're busy half the nights this week with extra-curricular? Just squeeze it into your timetable and it'll be fine! #DivergentAmityFace" IT MAKES ME WANT TO PULL MY HAIR OUT! GAHHHH! I HAVE A LIFE YA KNOW, TEACH'!**

**Well, later, peeps.**


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